Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 29, 2026
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area.
He looked around at everything and, since it was already late,
went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry.
Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf,
he went over to see if he could find anything on it.
When he reached it he found nothing but leaves;
it was not the time for figs.
And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!”
And his disciples heard it.
They came to Jerusalem,
and on entering the temple area
he began to drive out those selling and buying there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers
and the seats of those who were selling doves.
He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.
Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written:
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?
But you have made it a den of thieves.”
The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it
and were seeking a way to put him to death,
yet they feared him
because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.
When evening came, they went out of the city.
Early in the morning, as they were walking along,
they saw the fig tree withered to its roots.
Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look!
The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”
Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.
Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will happen,
it shall be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,
believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,
so that your heavenly Father may in turn
forgive you your transgressions.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
It is more common to encounter depictions of Jesus as patient and gentle: a healer, a teacher, a shepherd, who spends his time curing the sick, acknowledging the forgotten, and seeking out the lost. For those of us who are quicker to anger than we might like, imitation of the serene Jesus can feel out of reach. A Jesus who curses a fig tree and overturns tables might be easier to recognize in ourselves.
At first blush, this story might seem like Jesus was just having a bad day, in the way that ordinary humans do—perhaps a little unfairly. After all, the fig tree didn’t have figs because it wasn’t the season for figs. How could our understanding, calm, patient Jesus not accept that the fig tree was simply following the laws of nature as it always had been? How could he expect it to be any different?
One possible answer lies in the context of this passage. It immediately follows Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, the story we hear at the opening of Palm Sunday Mass. Jesus has just entered Jerusalem to Hosannas and palm branches and shouts of joy. He has entered Jerusalem as a king. And when a new king enters a city, he transforms it. His new rule, not the old, is what governs.
When Jesus enters our hearts, the way he has entered Jerusalem, we can no longer expect anything to stay the same. He comes to topple our understanding of the seasons, to shake up the status quo, to change our hearts into something new and something better. We do not need to wait for a new season to be able to bear fruit, because the source of new life is with us and within us every day.
Prayer
Lord, cleanse what is hollow in us and drive out whatever crowds you from our hearts. Make us houses of prayer, not just in appearance, but in truth. Strengthen our faith, quiet our doubt, and soften us toward one another, so that we may come before you together, open-handed and forgiven. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Ursula Ledóchowska navigated the turmoil of early 20th-century Europe to found a community of nuns to educate those who suffered the most from wars and unrest: girls.
She was born in 1865 to a Polish aristocratic family. Her family was full of faith—a sister, Maria, has been declared blessed after founding an order of nuns who served people in Africa; a brother, Vladimir, served as leader of the worldwide Jesuit community. She even had an uncle who was a cardinal!
The family had been living in Austria after suffering financial trouble, but returned to Poland when St. Ursula’s father died of smallpox. After his death, Ursula entered the convent and dedicated herself to the education of young people.
After 18 years in the community, Ursula was named mother superior. She opened a home for women studying at the university in Krakow, which had not been done before.
She was asked to provide similar help in St. Petersburg, Russia, by opening a boarding school for Polish girls living there. She established a convent there to sustain this work, and the nuns wore plain clothes because the Russian empire opposed Catholic institutions. She and the nuns who helped her were often watched and followed.
When the climate in Russia became more hostile, she moved to Russian-controlled Finland, where she translated prayers, songs, and a catechism into Finnish.
After the Communist revolution, Ursula and her community of nuns were expelled from Russia, and they settled in neutral Sweden. There, Ursula continued to educate girls—especially those who were displaced by war or unrest—by starting schools for science and language. The community also started a Catholic newspaper and established an orphanage in Denmark.
In 1920 Ursula made her way back to Poland with her sisters and dozens of orphans. During her work out of the country, her band of sisters had developed their own personality, and she established them as a new order in 1906—the Ursuline Sisters of the Heart of Jesus in Agony. They continue their work today all over the world.
St. Ursula was known as a gifted speaker, and often spoke before royalty and other international dignitaries. She died on this date in 1939.
St. Ursula Ledóchowska, you spent your life educating girls despite opposition from Communists—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Ursula Ledóchowska is in the public domain. Last accessed March 11, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
